Charm Skill Leveling in Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord

The Charm skill is the backbone of diplomacy in Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord. Governed by the Social attribute, it dictates your ability to persuade nobles, improve relations with notables, and accumulate Influence. Whether you want to unite Calradia through words or simply recruit a powerful spouse, high Charm is essential.

The Charm skill tree offers powerful perks for diplomacy and influence.

To maximize your Charm potential, you should also understand how it synergizes with other systems. Check out our Skills & Perks Overview and Attributes & Focus Points guides for a broader look at character development.

How to Level Charm Fast

Leveling Charm can feel slow if you rely solely on occasional conversations. However, there are specific loops you can exploit to skyrocket your XP gain.

Efficient leveling loops can save you hours of gameplay.

1. Bartering and Gifting

The absolute fastest way to level Charm is through Bartering. Whenever you meet a noble or notable, initiate a trade.

• The Trick: Offer them a small gift (a few denars or cheap items) without asking for anything in return. The "green" bar indicating a favorable deal for them grants massive Charm XP.

• Tip: You don't need to give away a fortune. Even small, frequent gifts trigger the XP gain.

2. Releasing Noble Prisoners

After winning a battle against an enemy lord, you often have the choice to capture or release them.

• Release them: This instantly grants a significant chunk of Charm XP and improves relations with that lord's clan.

• Capture them: Good for war score, but gives no Charm XP.

• For more on handling captives, see our Prisoner Management guide.

3. Persuasion Attempts

Successfully persuading a lord to defect to your kingdom, or convincing a lady to marry you, yields high XP.

• Before attempting these checks, save your game!

• See our Relationship Building with Notables guide for more tips on leveraging these interactions.

4. Completing Quests

Many quests from village notables and town artisans grant Charm XP upon successful completion, especially those involving dispute resolution.

The Persuasion Mini-Game

When you try to convince an NPC to do something (like defecting or marrying), you enter the Persuasion Mini-Game.

• Success Chance: Based on your Charm skill, traits (like Honor or Mercy), and relationship with the NPC.

• Critical Success: Instantly wins that stage of the argument.

• Critical Fail: Locks you out of further attempts for a while.

If you have low Charm, focus on "safe" dialogue options with high probability percentages. As your skill grows, you can take riskier options for better outcomes.

Best Charm Perks

Choosing the right perks can define your playthrough. Here are some standout choices:

Selecting the right perks can double your influence gain.

• Tier 1 (Level 25):

  • Ice Breaker: +10% relation chance with notables. Great for recruitment.

  • Self Promoter: +3 renown for tournament wins. Good for early game renown farming.

• Tier 2 (Level 50):

  • Warlord: Influence gain from battles. Essential for warmongers.

  • Meaningful Favors: Double persuasion chance success. Critical for diplomatic playthroughs.

• Tier 6 (Level 275):

  • Immortal Charm: Passively gain influence every day. This is a game-changer for late-game Kingdom Management.

High Charm also pairs perfectly with the Leadership skill, allowing you to lead massive armies effectively. Learn more in our Leadership Skill Guide.

Practical Uses for High Charm

Why grind this skill? The rewards are tangible:

1. Marriage: Finding a spouse with good stats is easier and cheaper. Check out our Marriage & Family guide.

2. Recruiting Vassals: When you Start Your Own Kingdom, you need other clans to join you. High Charm is the key to convincing them without paying millions of denars.

3. Clan Loyalty: High relations mean your Clan Members and vassals are less likely to defect.

4. Elite Troops: High relations with notables unlock access to Noble Troops like Vlandian Squires or Battanian Highborn Youth.

Mastering Charm transforms Bannerlord from a pure combat simulator into a grand strategy game where your words are as sharp as your sword.